Chapter 139 — The Hunter
The footsteps stopped.
Nobody moved.
Brook stood at the front.
Rick was beside him.
Crowley remained near Sera.
Henry stood behind them.
Shoyo was the only one who didn't look afraid.
Brook noticed.
Of course he did.
"Shoyo."
She didn't answer.
The forest remained silent.
"Shoyo."
"What?"
Brook looked at her.
"What is it?"
Shoyo stared into the darkness.
"I don't know."
Henry whispered:
"That's becoming a very popular answer."
Nobody laughed.
Another branch snapped.
This time—
behind them.
Everyone turned.
Azael's roar shook the trees.
Sera immediately stepped closer to Brook.
Her hand went to her side.
Brook noticed.
The injury had healed.
The memory hadn't.
Azael had nearly killed her.
Brook remembered carrying her.
Remembered not knowing whether she would wake up.
He tightened his grip.
Henry looked at him.
"You okay?"
Brook didn't answer.
Henry followed his eyes toward Sera.
Then understood.
"Right."
The unknown thing moved again.
Slow.
Heavy.
Not rushing.
Not hunting in the way the Abominations hunted.
It wasn't trying to surprise them.
It knew they were there.
Brook hated that.
A massive shape appeared between the trees.
Henry slowly whispered:
"That's big."
The creature stepped into the clearing.
Brook's first thought was that it looked wrong.
Not because it was deformed.
Not because its body was twisted.
It was worse.
It looked complete.
Too complete.
Its body was covered in dark fur.
Four massive legs carried its weight.
Its head was shaped like a wolf's—
but longer.
Its eyes were almost human.
Antlers curved backward from its skull.
Old scars covered its body.
The creature stood almost as tall as the surrounding trees.
A Vardø would have looked small beside it.
Henry stared upward.
"Okay."
Brook didn't look away.
Henry continued.
"I officially understand why they were running."
The creature stared at them.
Then its eyes moved.
Past them.
Toward the darkness behind.
Azael roared again.
The creature's expression changed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Shoyo whispered:
"Move."
Brook looked at her.
"What?"
"Now."
Rick didn't ask questions.
He grabbed Henry's arm.
"Come."
Henry moved.
Sera followed.
Brook didn't.
Crowley looked at him.
"Brook."
Brook stared at the creature.
"What is it?"
Shoyo stopped.
She looked back.
Her face had changed.
Brook immediately knew she recognized it.
"Shoyo."
She looked at him.
For once—
she answered.
"A hunter."
Henry frowned.
"That's not helpful."
Shoyo's voice became quiet.
"It hunts Vardø."
Brook looked at the creature.
"Why?"
Shoyo stared at it.
"Because Vardø aren't its prey."
Brook frowned.
"Then what?"
Shoyo looked toward the darkness behind them.
Her voice dropped.
"Competition."
Azael roared.
The Hunter answered.
The two sounds collided through the forest.
Brook finally understood.
Neither creature was running.
Neither was being hunted.
The Vardø had been caught between them.
Henry stared at the Hunter.
"You're telling me those things are rivals?"
Shoyo shook her head.
"No."
Brook waited.
Shoyo continued.
"Azael is not old enough to be its rival."
Silence.
Crowley slowly turned.
"How old is that thing?"
Shoyo didn't answer.
Brook looked at her.
She was afraid.
Not much.
But enough.
And that was worse than an answer.
The Hunter took one step forward.
Brook raised his weapon.
Crowley grabbed his arm.
"Don't."
Brook looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because I don't think it cares about us."
The creature's eyes remained fixed on the darkness behind them.
Azael.
Brook slowly lowered his weapon.
Henry whispered:
"That makes me feel slightly better."
The Hunter turned its head.
It looked directly at him.
Henry froze.
"Never mind."
The creature stared.
Henry swallowed.
"Definitely cares."
Then—
Henry dropped to his knees.
Brook immediately moved.
"Henry!"
Henry grabbed his head.
"No."
The Hunter's eyes remained on him.
Henry screamed.
The blackness moved beneath his skin.
Crowley stepped toward him.
"Brook."
Brook held Henry.
"Henry!"
Henry's eyes opened.
Black.
But the voice that came out wasn't the Ectoplasm.
It was dozens.
"Run."
Brook froze.
Henry's mouth continued moving.
"Run."
Shoyo stared at him.
Henry's voice layered.
"Not him."
Brook looked at the Hunter.
The creature hadn't moved.
Henry screamed again.
Then pointed toward the darkness.
"HIM!"
Azael roared.
Closer.
The Hunter's entire body lowered.
Brook understood immediately.
It wasn't watching them.
It was waiting.
"Move!"
Shoyo shouted.
This time, nobody hesitated.
Rick pulled Henry up.
Brook grabbed Sera's hand.
Crowley followed.
They ran.
The forest exploded around them.
Behind them—
Azael burst through the trees.
Brook only saw him for a second.
Massive.
Fast.
His body slammed through branches and stone.
His eyes were locked ahead.
Not on Xcution.
On the Hunter.
The Hunter roared.
Azael answered.
Then they collided.
The sound threw Brook forward.
He hit the ground.
Sera fell beside him.
Henry rolled through the dirt.
Rick stopped himself against a tree.
Crowley remained standing.
For a moment—
nobody could hear.
Brook looked back.
The Hunter had Azael by the throat.
Azael's claws tore through its fur.
Blood hit the trees.
Henry stared.
"Are they fighting?"
Brook looked at him.
"What do you think?"
Henry swallowed.
"Stupid question."
Azael broke free.
The Hunter slammed into him.
Trees snapped.
The ground shook.
Brook pushed himself up.
"Go!"
They ran again.
Behind them—
the fight continued.
Neither creature cared about Xcution anymore.
And Brook had no intention of changing that.
They didn't stop until the sounds disappeared.
Everyone was breathing heavily.
Henry leaned against a tree.
"Can someone tell me what just happened?"
Crowley answered.
"We survived."
Henry nodded.
"Very detailed."
Brook looked at Shoyo.
She knew.
He could see it.
"Talk."
Shoyo stared at him.
Brook stepped closer.
"Now."
Sera watched them.
Rick remained quiet.
Crowley leaned against a tree.
Shoyo finally spoke.
"The Hunter is older than this world."
Silence.
Henry blinked.
"What?"
Brook stared at her.
Shoyo continued.
"Before the Walls."
Crowley straightened.
"That's impossible."
Shoyo looked at him.
"Why?"
Crowley stopped.
Brook noticed.
Crowley didn't answer.
Shoyo continued.
"It existed before the Shinokunis were separated."
Henry looked at the direction they had come from.
"And it's been living in that forest?"
"No."
Shoyo said.
Henry frowned.
"Then where?"
Shoyo looked toward Brook.
"Everywhere."
Nobody spoke.
Brook's expression hardened.
"Explain."
Shoyo looked toward the forest.
"The Hunter moves."
Crowley stared.
"Through the old paths."
Shoyo nodded.
"The places that existed before this world became twelve sections."
Brook thought about that.
The world before.
The history they had only begun uncovering.
The former king.
The things Crowley had forgotten.
Elias.
The Maker.
Everything felt connected.
Brook hated it.
Henry slowly sat down.
"Can we not find anything else from before the world ended today?"
Nobody answered.
Henry sighed.
"Right."
Sera crouched beside him.
"How do you feel?"
Henry looked at her.
"Like I was possessed in front of something that could eat a Vardø."
Sera waited.
Henry's expression softened.
"The voices were scared."
Brook turned.
"What?"
Henry looked at him.
"The Ectoplasm."
Crowley stepped closer.
"Of the Hunter?"
Henry shook his head.
"No."
Brook frowned.
"Then what?"
Henry looked toward the direction Azael had come from.
His face became pale.
"Azael."
Silence.
Crowley stared.
Henry continued.
"They know him."
Brook felt something cold move through him.
Sera asked quietly:
"From Elias?"
Henry nodded.
"I think so."
Brook's hands tightened.
Henry looked at him.
"The voices started screaming when they felt him coming."
Crowley asked:
"What were they saying?"
Henry hesitated.
Then answered.
"They remember."
Nobody spoke.
Brook looked toward Crowley.
Crowley's face had changed.
Henry continued.
"They remember what Azael did."
The forest suddenly went silent again.
Everyone froze.
Brook reached for his weapon.
Henry whispered:
"Please don't tell me."
A roar answered.
Far away.
Not Azael.
The Hunter.
Then—
nothing.
No second roar came.
Brook stared into the darkness.
Sera looked at him.
"Do you think it's over?"
Brook didn't answer.
Because something was wrong.
Azael always answered.
The beast had been fighting.
The Hunter had roared.
And Azael—
had gone silent.
Henry slowly looked toward the forest.
"Brook."
Brook didn't move.
Henry's voice became quiet.
"Do we go back?"
Brook immediately answered.
"No."
Crowley looked at him.
Brook turned.
"That's not our fight."
Crowley nodded slowly.
For once—
nobody disagreed.
They continued moving.
But something had changed.
The forest no longer felt like a place.
It felt like history.
Every tree seemed older.
Every shadow seemed like it was hiding something from before the Walls.
Brook looked toward Shoyo.
She walked silently.
He wanted to ask questions.
Hundreds of them.
But he knew the answers would come eventually.
Or they wouldn't.
That was becoming the problem.
Too many people knew things.
Too many people had forgotten things.
And somewhere ahead—
Elias was waiting.
That night, they made camp near an old stone structure.
Half of it had collapsed.
The remaining walls were covered in roots.
Crowley stood near one of them.
Brook approached.
"You recognize it?"
Crowley ran his hand across the stone.
"No."
Brook waited.
Crowley frowned.
"But I should."
Brook looked at the markings.
Symbols.
Old ones.
Some had been destroyed.
Others remained.
Crowley's expression tightened.
Henry approached.
"What?"
Crowley pointed toward one of the symbols.
"I know this."
Brook looked at him.
"From where?"
Crowley shook his head.
"I don't know."
Henry sighed.
"That's really becoming your thing."
Crowley looked at him.
Henry smiled.
"Sorry."
Crowley looked back at the symbol.
His expression remained serious.
Then he whispered:
"No."
Brook frowned.
Crowley touched another marking.
"No."
Sera approached.
"Crowley?"
He looked at them.
For the first time—
Brook saw fear in him.
Not confusion.
Fear.
Crowley pointed toward the stone.
"I remember this."
Brook stepped closer.
Crowley swallowed.
"I've been here before."
The group went silent.
Henry looked around the ruined structure.
"When?"
Crowley stared at the darkness beyond the broken wall.
Then shook his head.
"I don't remember."
Brook waited.
Crowley's face hardened.
"But I know who was here."
Sera looked at him.
"Who?"
Crowley didn't answer immediately.
The wind moved through the ruins.
Then Crowley said one name.
"Elias."
And beneath the stone—
something knocked back.
End of Chapter 139